WASHINGTON — Media organizations banned from the White House under directives from U.S. President Donald Trump have taken legal action against the administration.

In a joint statement released on the 21st (local time), CNN, MSNow, and Politico announced they filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and formally notified the government. They also submitted an emergency motion seeking the immediate restoration of their White House press credentials.

"The Constitution does not permit the President or any other government official to strip the press of its First Amendment rights, freedoms, and property interests without notice or due process simply because they dislike the coverage," the outlets stated in the complaint.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution stipulates that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Along with CNN, major broadcasting networks ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox News—which operate the White House television pool rotation—suspended their pool coverage, through which they rotate in covering the President and distribute footage to domestic and international media.

"The public has a vital stake in receiving accurate and independent information about its government," the broadcast press corps emphasized in a statement. "No administration should restrict a news organization simply because it is unhappy with its reporting."

As a result of this boycott by the five major networks, video footage of President Trump is not being broadcast across television networks nationwide. Viewers can only access it via smaller, right-leaning media outlets or YouTube channels.

Consequently, President Trump’s scheduled address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 22nd has become largely inaccessible on mainstream U.S. television. Furthermore, when President Trump boarded his presidential helicopter, Marine One, for the trip to the UN, the pool microphone was absent, rendering his remarks inaudible during a heliport completion ceremony.

In response, President Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on the same day: "The White House is not launching an attack on the free press, which I cherish. The White House is launching an attack on the fake news that has grown like a cancer in our beloved America."

Trump claimed, "The fake news is corrupt, deliberate, pervasive, and completely coordinated. It is totally out of control. This is a threat to our national security. It must be stopped right now."

CNN reported that the decision by President Trump on the 18th to ban these three outlets from the White House appears to have been influenced by press briefings from Natalie Harp, a close aide and former right-leaning TV host. Harp closely shadows the President, taking dictation for his Truth Social posts and printing out news reports for his review.

While the Trump administration’s "war with the mainstream media" is not unprecedented, The New York Times and other outlets noted that such a sweeping confrontation against multiple news organizations simultaneously is exceptionally rare.

Previously, the Associated Press (AP) was banned from the Oval Office and subsequently filed a lawsuit. In that ongoing litigation, the AP’s credential revocation stemmed from its failure to comply with a directive to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America."

Similarly, the U.S. Department of Defense required credentialed or uncredentialed journalists to sign a pledge not to report on "unauthorized or controlled unclassified information." Following a refusal by domestic and international media outlets, the Pentagon revoked their press access, sparking ongoing litigation.

During his first term, Trump revoked the White House press credentials of specific reporters from CNN and Playboy. Both successfully challenged the actions in court and had their access restored.

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